Eighteen
by adowftaw
Summary: Sixteen year old high school junior, Percy Jackson, didn't ever think that he'd find the love of his life on an old bus, nor did he ever think that she'd be five years older than him. Still, that doesn't stop him from loving her, and so he does the first thing that comes to his mind in order to be with this older woman. He lies about his age. Inspired by 18, a song by 5SOS
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so maybe a ratty old blue bus isn't exactly the most romantic place to meet the love of your life but that's how they met. And like in all stories, it started with a ring.

...

Percy groaned.

"Ow..." He complained, rubbing the incoming bruise on his temple. The laughter of his friends rang inside his throbbing head, causing for his scowl to deepen.

"Not funny, guys." He grumbled as he arose from his spot on the floor. Having been staring off into space and nearly on the verge of passing out, the bell spooked him back into reality. His body had sprung out of his desk and headed towards the floor, where he would then slam the side of his head onto. His fellow classmates exchanged glances with each other before proceeding to give Percy a bewildered look.

He only glared at them.

"I'm out of here." He whispered angrily under his breath, gathering his supplies into a pile and dumping them inside his bag. He slung the strap over his shoulder and headed for the door despite his so called friends' pleas for him to slow down.

The boy was merely a foot away from the exit of the school before he heard the shout of his best friend and cousin, Nico Di Angelo. "Perce, c'mon, man! Wait up!"

His loyalty had got the best of him yet again; Percy sighed to a stop and with the roll of his eyes and the swift shake of his head, his gaze averted to his approaching friends.

"Geez, when did you get so fast?" Leo Valdez bent over, resting his hands on his knees as he gasped for air. The ends of his brown curly hair began to wilt like the petals of a flower lacking water with the small amount of sweat that had started building up on his scalp; His warm brown eyes going wide. Let's just say Leo wasn't the most athletic of the four.

"I'm not fast, you're just slow." Percy joked dryly. A deep chuckle rumbled pass Charles Beckendorf's lips. His chocolatey colored skin glistened against the sun that peeked inside the windows the school possessed. Charles's large biceps flexed as he clapped his hand on the back of his step brother's back, who then responded with a yelp of pain.

"Don't worry, bud. You'll get there." Charles reassured. Leo sent a glare towards his brother and shoved his hand off his back, straightening out his spine. Percy intervened before the two could erupt into another spontaneous match of brotherly wrestling.

"Wanna go back to my place to practice? My neighbors went to Philadelphia for a couple of weeks so we don't have to worry about them calling the cops for another noise complaint?" He offered, hope evident in his words. Nico was the first to speak. His olive skin stretched back into a sideways grin; Jet black hair, which was very similar to Percy's, flopped into his dark brown, nearly black, eyes.

"I'm in."

Before the other two could respond, Nico's voice boomed the one word that made the boys instinctively start pumping their legs towards Charles's truck, "Race!"

...

Percy's foot was barely inside of his neat and cozy two story house when he was immediately tackled by a huge black blob, which triggered some laughter to bubble pass his lips.

"Mrs. O'Leary, down, girl!" He commanded with a broad smile as the dark furred St. Bernard lapped its slobby tongue all over the boy's features. The dog obeyed her master's orders and placed her front paws back onto the carpeted floor, her tail wagging crazily.

"Guys, do you smell that?" Nico stuck in his head over Percy's shoulder, sniffing the air inside of his friend's home. Percy slid the back of his hand over his nose in attempt to get the musky scent of dog breath out of his nostrils.

"No," He whined. "All I smell is dog saliva."

"Percy? Is that you?" Sally Jackson called from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it's me, ma." Percy kicked the door closed with the heel of his shoe once the three boys behind him entered. Charles joined Nico in sniffing the air and Percy scrunched his eyebrows together.

"What're you guys smelling...?" He trailed off once the scent finally wafted into his nose. His brother, Tyson, trudged out of the kitchen and into the living room with them, dark bags under his eyes, just as Percy had recognized the smell.

"Is that what I think it is?" Percy asked to no one in particular, his smile growing more and more by the second.

His mother toddled into the room, following Tyson's trail with a large yellow plate in her hands; A mouthwatering pile of newly baked blue colored chocolate chip cookies stacked atop each other in a neat order.

Sally had barely enough time to place the plate on the coffee table that rested just in front of their leather couch before the boys attacked them, groaning when the immense heat burned their tongues.

She laughed. "I've told you guys before, wait then eat."

Percy chuckled goofily in response and slapped Nico's chest with the back of his hand, beckoning him to go to the garage.

"Thanks for the cookies, Ms. Jackson." Nico said as his best friend dragged him away by the sleeve, but not before patting the mop of hair that belonged to little ten year old Tyson Jackson, who simply smiled at the two. Both children of Hephaestus, a world known businessman who owned every Home Depot in the country, followed in pursuit.

"So," Percy started off, grabbing a stray sheet of music off the floor.

" _Rejects_ , it is then." He mumbled. Leo groaned.

"But I'm terrible at that song." He complained.

"Well, that's why we're practicing," Percy hooked his hand onto his microphone, looking back at Leo who stood with his shoulders slumped, his electric guitar in hand. "To not be horrible."

Charles rapped the tip of his drumsticks against the drums that were labeled with the band name, _The Four Horsemen_.

Nico plucked a cord on his bass guitar and grinned when he heard the noise come out of the small amplifier on the floor beside him.

"You guys ready?" Percy inquired, wiping his clammy palms against the fabric of his jeans and grabbing the strap of his old electric guitar to settle it onto his shoulders.

The three boys let out a chorus of several different agreements.

"Alright," He raised his voice. "Let's do this!"

 _ **Rejects**_

 _ **5 Seconds of Summer**_

 _P - Percy_

 _N - Nico_

 _A - All_

 _(P) Back at school, they all thought I was an_

 _Outcast, car crash_

 _"A hopeless fool", they said to me_

 _And my girlfriend said I messed up,_

 _Will I ever grow up?_

 _In the end,_

 _I'm not gonna!_

 _(A) What was I thinking?_

 _Everyone sees it_

 _It's not a secret_

 _That I'm just a reject_

 _Sick of the system_

 _Don't wanna hear it_

 _It's not a secret_

 _That I'm just a reject_

Percy backed away from the mic with a wicked grin, nodding his head to the long lasting melody they had going on seconds before leaning forwards to continue singing along with his band members.

 _I'm just a reject_

 _(N) My teacher said_

 _I was mentally disabled, so unstable_

 _So I'll stay in bed_

 _All day_

 _Save your breath_

 _You can talk at me but I'm not listening_

 _If this is a test,_

 _Then I'm probably failing_

 _(A) What was I thinking?_

 _Everyone sees it_

 _It's not a secret_

 _That I'm just a reject_

 _Sick of the system_

 _Don't wanna hear it_

 _It's not a secret_

 _That I'm just a reject_

 _(P) They try to save me but I'm too far gone_

 _And they call me crazy so I played along_

 _And you wanna change me, but I'm on my own..._

 _(A) La da da da da, la da duh_

 _La da da da da, la da duh_

Percy, once again, stepped away from his microphone stand to play his guitar by Leo as he part he just couldn't get right came up. And when Leo successfully played the guitar lick, all boys laughed with great spirit, Percy returning to his mic while doing so.

 _What was I thinking?_

 _Everyone sees it_

 _It's not a secret_

 _That I'm just a reject_

 _Sick of the system_

 _Don't wanna hear it_

 _It's not a secret_

 _That I'm just a reject_

 _(P) I'm just a reject_

He felt his arm getting tired from playing but willed himself to keep going, seeing as they were nearly done. And as a true performer says, _the show must go on_.

 _I'm just a reject_.

Percy leaned his forehead against the mic, out of breath and a smile on his lips.

"That's how you do it!" Arising from his seat, Charles continued to praise the band, "I knew we could do it."

"Who says we're not good enough for that record label? I don't think so." Nico joked loudly.

Sometime yesteryear, the boys had just formed the band.

To say the least, it was a hot mess. If they hadn't bore multiple pimples, scrawny arms (yes, that included Charles), and high pitched voices, then maybe they could've won the battle of the bands and that record label included. It's not that they were bad. They just weren't as experienced as they were now. The formation of the band was actually quite interesting.

Percy had just discovered his singing voice and put it to use every chance he got. Just one problem, he had stage fright. Nice, one day, had overheard him singing his lungs off inside the music room as he was passing by. He, being Percy's best friend, helped him out of his fright of singing of singing in front of an audience by daring him to do many embarrassing things in public.

One of those things included running around the mall with no shirt and no pants, which is where he met Charles and Leo.

And the rest of history.

"Let's go do something." Leo blurted out a little while after he and Charles had wedged themselves onto the loveseat the garage had.

"And you couldn't have said that before I sat down." Nico whined as he laid sprawled across the other couch that rested across from the two brothers. Percy sat on top of his legs, which earned him a slap on the back of the head, and frowned.

"Do something like what?"

"I don't know, anything really. I just don't want to sit here like a bunch of couch potatoes." Leo crossed his arms over his chest.

"There's nothing wrong with potatoes." Nico mumbled against a couch pillow, his eyelids closed shut. "I love potatoes." He added sleepily.

"Well there's always a party going on at Drew Tanaka's house, why not go to that?" Charles suggested. Percy sat forward, wariness in his features. "Wait, don't you have to be _popular_ to get in?"

"We could always just sneak in." Leo piped up as he squeezed himself out of the little space he'd been sitting in.

"Sounds dangerous," Nico remarked. In a split second, his hands pushed against the couch and elevated his torso off the cushion, his position resembling a seal.

"I'm in."

...

 _If another drunk girl walks up to me and asks if I'm Calum Hood one more time, I swear to god I will-_

"Perce, my man! Why're you hanging out by yourself over here? Come to the dance floor! Loosen up!" His wasted newly acquainted friend interrupted his thoughts with his loud shouting and a red plastic cup in hand.

Percy plastered a faux smile across his lips. "Oh no, I'm good here, Connor. Plus. I'm not much of a drinker."

Connor stumbled towards the green eyed boy, steadying himself by placing his hand on Percy's shoulder. "I call bullshit, Perce. Y-You can't tell me you haven't drunken any alcohol before, you're sixteen! I'm pretty sure you've had at least one shot of tequila or something." He slurred.

Percy resisted the urge to correct his poor grammar. "I haven't in a while."

Connor shook his head and ran his sweaty hand down Percy's face.

"I'm disappointed." He muttered before disappearing into the crowd of teens.

"Okay then." Percy whispered under his breath.

It was true. He wasn't much of a drinker. At least not anymore. The boy had a history of drinking underage, _way_ underage, around the time his father passed away. Let's just say those times weren't exactly the greatest of times for dear old Percy. Throughout the whole party, all he had to drink was Dr. Pepper and Coke-a-Cola. If he were to say he was having a great time, he'd be lying.

Watching your friends make out, or for Charles' sake, _dance_ with complete strangers whilst you sat alone by the countertop inside the kitchen wasn't exactly his idea of a fun Friday night.

Several hours had passed by and Percy was fed up

"Okay, we're going home!" He had announced to his drunk friends as he proceeded to drag them out of the jam packed weed smelling house and onto the street.

He disregarded their protests.

"I'll call you guys a cab,"He said, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

"But what about my car?" Charles whined, flicking his hand towards the sea of cars in the front yard of Drew's home.

"We are not driving home with you as the driver and you guys know I'm terrible driver, who, as a matter of fact, doesn't even have a license nor a permit." He laughed wryly as he began to dial the slightly familiar number to Bob's Cab Service and kept an eye out on the trio to make sure they didn't run off at the same time.

Being the only sober one around, it was his responsibility to make sure they got home in one piece and, after what seemed like an eternity passed by, the taxi driver had finally arrived.

Percy closed the taxi door and reached into his pocket for his wallet; He pulled out a twenty.

"This should cover it. Nico's house isn't that far from here," He turned his attention to the boys in the back seat as he handed the driver the money through the open window. "You guys will stay at Nico's, alright? Don't go out on any adventures."

He could tell they were hardly even listening. All of their attention was solely on the back window, as Leo kept messing with the button and all boys watched as it went up and down, up and down...

Percy sighed and met eyes with the chubby, old driver. "Can you see that they get home safely?"

The man only nodded and sifted his gear into drive. Percy waved goodbye to his friends. "I'll see you idiots tomorrow."

An assortment of goodbyes flurried out of the car. Ranging from, "bye Perce" to "au revior" and he couldn't help but laugh as they drove off to chase the horizon, giggles sounding down the street until they disappeared from sight.

...

Percy's feet hurt from walking so much. The nearest bus stop was miles away and he was glad he had time to sit and wait. About ten minutes later and the bus arrived.

He frowned in the slightest at the decor of the bus. The blue paint was coming off due to old age and rust was in place of it. The bus was small and ratty. The inside was even worse than the outside. Percy tried his best not to grimace at the stench of piss, beer and cigarettes as he paid his fair and walked pass the drunk homeless people and the man dressed in running gear, who stood out like a sore thumb, to make his way towards the back. The seats had a gray tint to them and stains of different colors and mold formed in the tears of opened seats.

The brown color at the center of the seat to his right deterred him.

His nose crinkling, he reached into his pocket to retrieve his headphones just as the bus began to drive off.

It wasn't long before a buzz like sound started to ring in his right ear. His frown deepened and he glanced around to find the source of this buzzing noise. It grew louder and louder only in the tiniest bit but then Percy looked out the back window and spotted a young woman chasing after the bus in her heels, evidently getting close to giving up.

A yell broke out of him as he shot out of his seat to head towards the back set of doors. "Hey! Stop the bus, someone wants to get on!"

When the bus came to a full stop, a light lit up and a sound sounded indicating that the back doors had been unlocked and Percy pushed them open for the woman. He held out a hand for her the second she caught up.

Suddenly the moans and groans of the homeless completely faded away and it only felt like it was just the two of them. Percy couldn't help but marvel at thi magnificent stranger. Her piercing gray eyes stared straight into his sea green ones and she smiled politely.

Oh her smile, Percy could just sigh at her smile. His heart felt a ton lighter just looking at that darn smile.

Her light blonde was slightly mussed up during the run but she still managed to pull it off, the curls framing her beautifully sculpted face. She wore an unbuttoned salmon blazer over a white buttoned blouse. Her black jeans were tight against her slim legs and the heels she'd ran in looked incredibly uncomfortable.

She breathlessly said, "Thanks." as she took his hand. Percy found himself loving how perfectly their hands fit together.

He wordlessly and gently pulled her inside, unable to find his voice to speak.

She waited a few moments to stare at him in the way he stared at her but then the inevitable interruption had to happen.

"Hey, lady, you gonna pay or what?" The bus driver's rough voice boomed and both of them shook out of their trance.

The unnamed female finally released her hand from Percy's and was the first to look away. She glanced around the shabby bus's even shabbier interior but the smile on her face didn't falter. Almost as if she was used to this bus and obtained great memories from it or instead she was thinking of something, or someone, that made the smile stay utterly visible even after seeing the poor condition the large automobile was in.

Seconds later, she was looking back at Percy but it only lasted for a short moment for she smiled at him one last time before she made her way to the fair box where she then paid her money.

Meanwhile, Percy had sat back down at his seat, his hands in his jacket pockets. He was so entranced by this woman, he nearly sat on the brown stained seat on accident.

He felt this longing to be by her side again. So when she sat next to him, to say he was happy would be a major understatement.

"Hey," She smiled that beautiful dazzling smile at him and he was putty in her hands.

"Hey." He breathed. It was a miracle. The terrible raunchy stench was overcome by her intoxicatingly wonderful scent of strawberries and Percy was ecstatic.

"Thanks again for stopping the bus for me, by the way." She tucked a lock of her hair behind the shell of her ear and held her hand out for a handshake.

"Annabeth Chase." She introduced.

Percy grabbed her, the crooked dopey grin still as wide as ever on his lips.

"Percy Jackson, nice to meet you."

She nodded in recognition and let go of Percy's hand to place it back in her lap. She looked away, her face slightly flustered. She inhaled and exhaled deeply. At that moment, Percy could tell that's all she was going to say. _She's a little shy_ , he realized. He took the silence as an opportunity to start up a conversation.

"So, want to tell me your secret?"

Her eyes widened as her brows rose towards her hairline. "I'm sorry?"

"Your heels." He pointed at her black four inch high heels. "How'd you run in them so fast?"

"Ah," She breathed, laughing to herself when she apprehended just exactly what he meant. "Lots and lots of practice."

"It was pretty impressive," He acknowledged. "I know I probably would've fell ages ago at the pace you were going."

She looked amused as she frowned. "Why would you be running in heels in the first place?"

Percy blushed in the slightest but played it cool. "Ah, you caught me. Hi, I'm Percy Jackson, slacker by day, drag queen by night."

That emitted a dorky laugh from the woman. "What's your drag name? I have to look you up one of these days."

"I'm new to the business. I haven't got a name yet."

"What about Jazzy Jackie?"

"That sounds like the title to my autobiography."

Annabeth laughed. The sound warmed Percy's chest. He chuckled to himself and averted his gaze to the ground to avoid her seeing his blush. He liked that it was easy to talk to her and joke around. There weren't many strangers you could do that with.

After a few moments of silence, he gave in.

"What are you doing out so late anyways? It's pretty dangerous being out on these streets with it being way past midnight."

"I'm old enough to be out alone late at night if I want."

He forced a laugh out of his throat. "And how old is that? _Seventeen_?" He questioned, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"No, _twenty one_." She corrected. "And what about you? Aren't you like fifteen? Shouldn't _you_ be worrying about the time of the day?" Her gray eyes squinted into a daring look that made Percy's blood run cold. He cursed at the gods for making him meet such an amazing person who he couldn't have. But then an idea struck him.

 _Why not just do what any other guy would do?_

Snorting, he lied right through his teeth. "For your information, I'm _nineteen_."

 _I'm sure I can pass as a nineteen year old_ , he meekly thought to himself, hoping she'd believe him.

She looked surprised. "Wow, really? I thought you were younger."

"I thought the same. You look so young. " He admitted.

The sanguine that painted her cheeks darkened. "I don't look that young. I found my first gray hair the other day."

"Still. You look young." He pressed. She looked cute when she blushed.

Annabeth grinned sheepishly. "Thanks. You do too."

Throughout the rest of the bus ride, they continued to talk. Whether it be about Annabeth's job as an architect or Percy's impressive knowledge on all things concerning food and blue food coloring, the two clearly just loved to engage in a conversation with one another.

So when Annabeth's stop came, they were both disappointed to see the other go.

"Well, this is my stop." She said monotonously. She grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. She took her time to get up, as if she were delaying her leave.

Or waiting for something to happen.

Or both.

Percy spoke up when she neared the doors.

"Hey, can I have our number?"

She looked relieved to have a reason to come back to him. "Sure." They quickly exchanged numbers, scrambling to enter each digit for the bus driver was rushing them.

Annabeth moved to leave again but not before she looked over her shoulder at Percy.

"See you later... Jazzy Jackie." She winked.

And then she was gone.

...

Percy arrived at home a quarter past three.

His house was dark and quiet, the only noises being the creaking of the old house, the panting of Mrs. O'Leary as she greeted Percy at the door and his mom's soft snores as she slept on the couch.

His heart warmed at the sight. _She must've fallen asleep waiting for me_ , he thought to himself.

Shooing Mrs. O'Leary away, he paved his way to the laundry room to grab a warm blanket to cover his mother with. Reaching to turn on the light, he nearly screamed.

When light spread around the small room, a tired little boy laid in a laundry basket with a blanket in his tight little fist.

When Percy recognized it was Tyson, he chuckled. Tyson tried to get a blanket for his mother as well but fell asleep while doing so.

Placing the folded blanket in Tyson's lap, Percy reached down to pick him up. He laid his younger brother on his mother, trying his best not to wake either of them up, then proceeded to cover them with the same blanket. Sighing with exhaustion, he kissed them both on their foreheads and whispered a 'goodnight' before heading to his room. He collapsed on his bed the moment he got inside, not even bothering to change into something more comfortable.

And with that, Percy fell asleep with a smile on his face and the thought of the mysterious pretty blonde girl who he met on the ratty old blue bus.

 **/**

 _ **Y'all, this is a long chapter.**_

 _ **I hoped you guys liked it though. I worked real hard on it.**_

 _ **If you're coming from my old fanfic on ThatMusicalAuthor, welcome to the new and improved version of the story. The new and improved version of me.**_

 _ **The next chapter is coming very very soon so get ready for that.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading.**_

 _ **Peace.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: All rights go to their respective owners.**_


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay, okay, hold up. Did you just say she's _twenty one_?" Nico questioned with disbelief clear in his tone.

It was late afternoon on a Saturday and the boys had just finished practicing a new song Percy was working on when he told them about the girl he had met the day before. Percy answered Nico with a low 'yes' and Leo was suddenly full of pride. "Damn, props to Perce."

He reached over to give the boy a fist bump, which he gladly returned with a small grin, and Percy spoke, "Thank you, Leo. At least _someone_ believes me." He looked pointedly at his cousin.

Beck was full of doubt. "Oh come on, Perce, what are the odds that you meet a girl, who, may I add, is an older woman and from the way you described her, is incredibly hot, when we're not there? We're always together, like twenty four seven. Plus, meeting on a bus sounds a bit too cliche to me."

Percy rolled his eyes and fished his phone out of his pocket. Sighing, he kissed his teeth. "Well, if you don't believe me, then maybe you'll believe _her_."

The boys were a ton more lively now. Leo, the more excited one of the three, immediately came to sit next to Percy, who sat on the couch. "You got her number?" He asked cheerfully.

Percy smirked. "Yep." Seconds later, he finally found her contact, having been struggling to read with his dyslexia. Once the loud trilling filled the room and " _Annabeth_ " was displayed on his phone screen as he waited for her to answer, Nico strode over to the three with his guitar pick between his fingers and sat on the armrest of the couch. Percy was nervous, to say the least. If she didn't answer, his friends would never believe him and if she did answer, he wouldn't know what to say. The girl made him speechless. So when it became known that someone had picked up the phone, his stomach immediately dropped. "H-Hey, Annabeth?" He squeaked.

His friends only snickered and he was more than glad they were more interested in hearing this girl's voice rather than making fun of his. But then something happened and they made fun of him anyways.

"¿Qué dijiste?"

That was most definitely not Annabeth's voice, considering it was a man's voice, and everybody except Percy burst out laughing. Laughing so loud, he barely hear what the man was saying, not that he knew anyways. Leo grabbed the phone from Percy's hands and wheezed pass his laughing, "Perdón, número incorrecto."

And with that, the call was hung up.

And Percy was devastated.

...

Time passed by and the boys had settled down their laughter. Percy was slumped in his seat with his hood over his eyes. He'd just learned she'd given him the wrong number. Whether purposely or not, he was still completely miserable about not being able to contact the girl of his dreams. Leo clamped a hand over his friend's shoulder and sighed. "Don't worry, bud, there's other fish in the sea."

"Yeah, and maybe some that are actually your age." Nico quietly snickered at Beck's remark.

Percy's jaw clenched as he shoved the hood of his head, which revealed his messy mop of black hair and sat forward, "You guys don't understand. Annabeth was... special. I know I only talked to her for a few minutes but..." He sighed in frustration. "Those were some of the best minutes of my life and that's saying a lot. She was just so easy to talk to and joke around with. Plus, she's so _beautiful_. She was the whole package and I lost her the moment I found her."

As Percy lowered his head, his friends shared glances and all wore the same guilty ridden look on their faces. Nico spoke, "Look, we don't know for sure if she meant to give you the wrong number or not and I think you deserve some answers. Is there any other way you can contact her? Did she give any clues as to where she might go on the daily? Somewhere where we can cross paths with her?"

Percy pondered for a moment then suddenly his face lit up. "She mentioned she was an architect. She worked at some place downtown. Athena's... something."

"Athena's Parthenon?" Leo and Beck said simultaneously. A small grin reached Percy's lips, "Yeah, that's it."

"Our dad supplies them with a lot of stuff they need for their construction sites across the country. We know where their office building is." Leo lightly smacked his brother's chest. "Beck can drive us there and hopefully we'll into her when we get there."

Excitement bubbled in Percy's chest. "Hopefully."

Without another word, he shot up from the couch, ran out of the garage, into his home and up the stairs to his room to change out of his sweaty clothes.

...

The words of encouragement that were showered onto him throughout the entire ride to the building could not deter his nervous demeanor. And when Beck parked the car in front of the sixty floor skyscraper, Percy gulped. "Okay, here we are. You ready?"

"No."

"Cool, now get out." Leo shooed the anxious boy out of the truck and yelled at him to call them when he was ready to go home before driving off, leaving a very flustered Percy behind. It wasn't long before he spotted Annabeth exiting the building and, of course, he didn't want to seem like he was stalking so he had a plan. Percy stepped out of the sandwich shop that neighbored Annabeth's workplace just as she neared and purposely bumped shoulders with her as he passed by. He tried his best to act like he hadn't seen her until the moment they came into contact.

"Annabeth, hey!" Her wide smile mirrored his.

"Jazzy Jackie, fancy seeing you here. Shouldn't you be at home? Lazing the day away?"

Percy sought the joke as an opportunity to create a conversation instead of flat out asking why she gave him the wrong number. "Oh yes, but you see, I learned about a fifty percent off sale at the shoe place down the road and I just couldn't pass up on it. I need new heels after all." He casually stood on his tip toes and fell back onto the balls of his feet in a swift motion.

The sight emitted a stifled laugh from Annabeth. "You're weird, you know that?"

He smirked and laughed at the statement. "Yeah, I do."

She smiled. "Good. I like weird."

A light blush colored his cheeks at the sound of that. The natural awkwardness that consumed him when he talked to girls began to crush his chest so he quickly made an escape from it by changing the subject. "Yeah, so, um, I tried calling you earlier. The... number was wrong?"

Annabeth frowned. "Wrong?"

He chuckled nervously. "Yeah. When I called, some guy was speaking Spanish to me and unless you know how to make your voice deep on command and are also bilingual, I'm pretty sure that wasn't you."

A brow hiked towards her hairline as amusement etched onto her face. "Let me see your phone."

Seconds later and it was revealed that she really did put in the wrong number. "The bus driver was rushing us, I must've mistyped a number."

Her fingers tapped lightly against the screen as she typed her real number then handed the phone back to Percy. "There."

Green eyes looked skeptic. Gray eyes rolled clockwise.

"Call it," The blonde said and the boy obliged.

When a ringer began to go off, Percy knew she was telling the truth. He'd gone to hang up the call but instead, Annabeth answered. She smiled, "Hello?"

Percy smiled back. "Hey."

"So, as an apology, I was wondering if you would like to go get some hot chocolate with me. My pay."

He pretended to really think about it then eventually said, "I'd love to."

...

When the two arrived at the nearest Loco Cocoa, shivering in the slightest as the cool breeze blew against them when they opened the door to the run of the mill coffee shop, Annabeth ordered first, like she'd been here a thousand times and knew exactly what to get out of the _millions_ of options to choose from.

"I'll get a locomotive."

Since it was his first time here, Percy only ordered what she was having. As the cashier totaled up their beverages, Annabeth glanced at Percy to give a surprised look.

"Are you sure you can handle a locomotive?"

His brows furrowed. "Why? What's in it?"

"Only a crap tom of caffeine and sugar. If you're normally hyperactive, this'll drive you completely insane."

"Why are you drinking it then?"

"Because, although I'm hyperactive myself, it's not enough to keep me awake all night to finish up some work I've got to do so this little bad boy has become my life saver."

"Then it's not a good idea for me to drink it."

She rested her elbow on his shoulder. "Nope, it isn't. If I were you, I'd stick to the classic hot chocolate and then work your way up the ladder."

Percy changed his order and the barista went to the back to grab their drinks. When he came back with both cups in his hands, Annabeth reached into her purse to grab her wallet but before she could even pull it out, Percy paid the boy behind the counter and took the drinks in his own hands. "Let's find a seat." He winked at her prior to turning on his heel to head towards the closest open booth.

"I said it was _my_ pay, not _yours_." She grabbed her locomotive from Percy's hands and glared at him.

Percy had never seen anything so scary in his life but he somehow managed to keep his cool. "I wanted to be a gentleman and pay for the lady."

His words softened her hardened features and she sighed. "Fine, but I'm paying next time."

That caused for an inevitable smirk to appear. "So there's going to be a next time?"

Annabeth raised a single brow at him and tried not to smile as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and pointed a finger at him. "Don't get too cocky."

The two erupted into simultaneous laughter that only lasted for a few seconds and came to an abrupt end when the jingle of the bell hanging above the door tinkled, signifying that someone had walked in. And that someone was not someone Annabeth liked.

"What the hell is he doing here?" She whispered to herself with a deep scowl on her face. It was almost as if she'd forgotten Percy was there. Percy snuck a peek around his shoulder to spot the unwanted stranger but froze in his seat.

 _Crap, crap, crap, crap_.

Percy swallowed dryly and turned his attention back to Annabeth. Once again, he was trying to keep his cool. Stay looking like a mature adult instead of a scared little boy who was terrified of the lightning in a thunderstorm.

"Who's that guy?" His voice came a bit deeper, seeing as he was trying not to let his fear show and acted like he didn't already know him. Of course he knew him. That was Matt Sloan, Percy's childhood bully. _That guy_ made Percy's life a living hell back in middle school and eventually became the reason why he would have to change schools when the issue became too much.

"Some little shit who won't stop flirting with me. He's like sixteen or seventeen and thinks we're dating." Annabeth's jaw set just as the boy walked over. Percy didn't seem surprised to hear that. Matt was the littlest shit around. He was a pest, a flirt, a playboy and ugly. Incredibly ugly. How he had dated so many girls back in middle school was a complete wonder to him. With his rotten cracked teeth, severe acne and terrible fashion choices, how could _anyone_ date him?

"Hey, babe." Matt attempted to kiss Annabeth the moment he got to their table but only received a push from her.

"Don't call me babe. We're not dating. How many times do I have to tell you that before you get that into your head?"

Percy tried to stay quiet and unnoticed but then Matt caught sight of him and his face contorted into rage and jealousy.

 _Please don't recognize me..._

"Who the hell is this dude?"

 _Oh thank god._

"Matt, this is Percy, my-"

"Boyfriend." Percy finished. Annabeth seemed a bit taken aback but said nothing of it, though, Matt was nothing but taken aback.

" _Boyfriend_?" He spat. "You're cheating on me?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes and looked more than exasperated with the kid. "Will you just leave already? Literally no one asked for you to be here."

Matt ignored Annabeth and menacingly leaned closer to Percy. If Percy were twelve and scrawny, he would've been utterly scared for his life. But over the years, he had developed muscles and a slight beard. And was scared of bullies no more.

"This is _my_ girl, asshole. Don't you ever touch her or I swear to god, I'll-"

"You'll what? You'll beat me? I'd like to see you try." Percy let his rage towards the boy who'd tormented him for years to show within his eyes as he glared intensely at him. It was so much rage that Matt even stepped back, fear clear on his face.

"Get out before it's too late." Annabeth cut in and Matt listened to her. He sent one more wimpy glare towards the silently seething Percy and left without another word. Percy lowered his gaze.

"Sorry about him," Annabeth apologized. He shook his head and dismissed the subject. "It's alright."

Moments of tense silence went by, so thick that not even a chainsaw could cut through it. Annabeth spoke up and attempted to cut away at it. "You like Nirvana?"

Percy raised his head to meet eyes with her and saw her pointing at his shirt. He smiled. "Yeah, I do. You know them?"

"Who doesn't? Plus, they're only like my favorite band ever. Kurt is legendary,"

A glimmer of happiness broke through the tension and lit up Percy's face. "No way. What's your favorite song by them?"

"Lithium."

Percy could just gasp. "Wow, I never pegged you as a rock kind of girl."

She brought her cup of locomotive to her lips and just before taking, she said, "Well, there's a lot of things you don't know about me."

 _Ditto, Annabeth. Ditto._

...

After five minutes of arguing, Annabeth finally let Percy walk her home.

It was late. They'd spent hours talking about everything there was to talk about, ranging from rock music to interesting facts about the sea and space. They didn't realize that it had been nearing midnight by the time they had finished talking about what could be in the depths of the oceans. Time really did fly by when he was with her. "So, is Lithium your favorite song or is it a different one?" He asked after a few minutes of walking.

"No, my favorite song is by Bon Jovi. I'm sure you can guess which one it is."

"Livin' on a Prayer?"

They smiled at each other.

"That's the one."

"My friends and I did a cover of that once. I had trouble hitting the high notes." He admitted through a laugh.

"You sing?" She inquired. He hadn't planned on telling Annabeth about his singing anytime soon. He was a bit insecure about his vocal abilities. He was sheepish when he said, "Yeah, my friends and I have a band."

"A band? That's so cool."

He grinned as a burst of confidence surged through him. "You should come over someday and see just how cool we are for yourself." He was so relieved when she agreed. "Sure, I'd love to. What is your band called, by the way?"

"The Four Horsemen."

"Magic movie or religious freak?"

"Movie." Percy revealed, referring to one of his favorite movies, _Now You See Me_.

"Who's the flirt of the group?"

"That would be Leo." He chuckled. "He may be scrawny but that doesn't hold him back from flirting with every girl that comes into sight."

Annabeth chuckled as well. "Are you guys any good?"

"I'd like to think so."

The two came to a stop. "Well, this is me."

Percy stared at the apartment building in awe. The building looked brand new with it's fresh looking brown and white paint. The place was ten floors high and lit up like a Christmas tree but instead of psychedelic colors, bright yellow lights were in place. Each room had a wall of glass and a balcony that overlooked the city. In other words, the building was fancy as hell. "This is... wow."

Annabeth laughed at the boy. "Thanks. My mom designed it herself."

"Your mom has a good eye."

She glanced up at the building with a look of admiration. "She does, doesn't she?"

She inhaled sharply moments later and abruptly stated, "Alright, well, I guess I'll see you later, Perce. Thanks for spending the afternoon with me. I had a good time."

"So did I."

They stood in front of each other, unsure of how they should say goodbye or if they should even say goodbye. Eventually, Annabeth simply gave him one more smile before turning around to head towards the entrance of the building. Just as soon as she got to the door, Percy spoke. "Hey, why don't you come over tomorrow and see our band perform a song? I mean, if you want to. You probably don't ever want to see me again nor do you you want to listen to my band but, I was just wondering if you would _like_ to come and listen in, not that you have to and... yeah."

Annabeth looked relieved to have a reason to stay a little bit longer with him and amused by his rambling. She walked back to him and said, "I would _love_ to see you perform and also, don't worry," She approached him and gave the boy a kiss on the cheek, whispering in his ear, "I'm here to stay."

...

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to invite her over."

It was half past midnight and Percy was with his friends, driving back home.

"I know, Leo, but it's a great excuse to see her again. You guys will love her."

"What about your mom? She won't exactly love the twenty one year old who's dating her sixteen year old son." Nico remarked.

Percy blushed. "Okay, first of all, we're not dating. Second of all, I have a plan for that. And third of all, it is a damn good plan."

"And what is this damn good plan of yours, genius?" Beck inquired as he slowed down at a stop sign and his eyes scanned the road.

"Well, my fellow band members, I am going to trick my mother into looking for medicine that doesn't exist!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means I'm going to make up the name of the exact medicine I'll be needing for my cough," Percy fake coughed. "Make my mom go look for it and she'll never find it. Therefore, we'll have a lot of time to ourselves at home and she'll never have to meet this _twenty one year old_." He smirked proudly at his own plan. Leo still looked confused. "Wait... what?"

Instead if explaining it to the poor slow minded boy, the three laughed and Leo reluctantly joined them, still unsure of what the plan was and why they were laughing. Then, all fell into a companionable silence as Beck continued to drive them all to Percy's home, where the boys decided to stay at for the night.

"Perce... Do you light this girl?" Nico said suddenly. Percy gave him a quizzical look. "I thought that was obvious."

Nico sighed and turned in his seat to face the boy next to him. "You're my best friend, Percy, and best friends don't like to see each other get hurt."

"And how would I get hurt?"

"Annabeth."

Percy raised a brow at Nico, still confused as ever. "Look, Annabeth is twenty one years old. She's an adult. She has a stable job and a nice place downtown and I'm pretty sure this is how she's going to live for the majority of her lifetime. Now all she's missing is someone to live her life with and she's choosing you. But how do you think she's going to react when she finds out you're not even out of high school yet?"

"Are you telling me to let her go?" Percy inquired.

"No... Well, yes. Just... Maybe you should back out before the hole you're digging with this lie of yours becomes too deep for you to get out of."

"What?"

"He means you should stop this thing you have going on with Annabeth before it goes too far and you get your heart broken." Beck intervened.

Percy sighed exasperatedly once finally understanding just what exactly his friends were saying. "I'm not backing out, guys. Not now, not ever. I really like this girl and I don't care what it takes to be with her." He paused and looked at all of them pointedly as he said, "I'm going to be with her," Looking out the window, he grumbled to himself, "Whether you like it or not."

Leo rolled his eyes as he too stared out the window. "Let's just let him make his own decisions on this one, guys."

Percy was more than relieved they were letting the subject go.

...

Now Percy was exhausted.

The teen stayed up very very late, only running on an hour of sleep for he spent the night writing a new song to sing to Annabeth. The other boys weren't any better. They helped him and stayed awake with him so they too only slept for an hour. They sleepily rehearsed the song until they mastered it (or came as close as they could get to perfection) and crashed out in the garage. Percy had woken up mere _minutes_ before Annabeth was to arrive. She was set to show up around eleven, having been off work on Sundays.

"Mom!" He rushed into his living room and found his mother sitting on the couch watching TV. He leaned against the back of the couch and looked at his mom, wearing the best frown he could muster up. "Ma, I have a really bad cough, can you go get me this medicine Nico recommended? He said it helped him better than any other type of medicine when he was sick that one time." He fibbed. Sally reached up to feel her son's forehead and frowned as well. "You don't feel warm, sweetheart. Are you sure you're not okay?"

Percy then abruptly began to expectorate to really sell off his so called _cough_. He knew it had worked when worry began to climb his mother's features and she stood from her seat. "What is this medicine called?"

After he got his mom to leave the house, he went to wake the others up. Grabbing two pots from the kitchen, he ran into the garage and began to bang them against each other, the loud noise startling his friends awake.

"Percy! What the hell, man?!" Beck threw a drumstick at the boy.

"Time to get up! Annabeth will be here any second." And then he left the room.

With a grumble, Nico got up from the floor as Beck dragged his still sleeping step brother by his scrawny arm to stand where his guitar rested.

"Alright! Beck, at the drums. Nico, grab your guitar. Leo, get off the floor. Let's move, people!" Percy retrieved his guitar from the couch just as the doorbell rang.

"She's here. I'll be back. Beck, please get Leo off the floor."

Percy slung his guitar over his shoulder and heading to the front door. "Annabeth." He breathily said through a smile. _You look good in casual clothing_ , he found himself wanting to say but didn't.

"Hey, Perce." She moved to hug him at the same time he moved to give her a kiss on the cheek, then they alternated moves and ended up indecisive on how to greet each other.

Then a drowsy Leo came into the picture and ended the awkwardness of their hell. "Well," He dragged out of the L of the words in a flirtatious tone, now awake as ever. "Who might this fine lady be?"

Of course a woman would be able to wake him up instead of loud noises and being dragged around.

"Annabeth." She introduced, giving out a hand for him to shake. He shook her hand, then turned it to the side and raised it towards his lips.

"Did my heart love till now? Foreswear it, sight. For I ne'er saw beauty till this night." He quoted before kissing the back of her hand.

Percy looked at him point-blank. "It's morning."

"It's Shakespeare." Leo retorted.

"I'm guessing this is Leo."

Percy nodded at her question with a smile, taking her hand from Leo's as he began to lead her to the garage. Leo closed the front door and followed in pursuit.

"Beck, Nico, come meet Annabeth." The two left their instruments to greet the blonde.

"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Nico di Angelo."

"And I'm Charles Beckendorf, but my friends just call me Beck." His soft brown eyes landed on his brother behind Percy and Annabeth. "I see you met my idiot step brother. Let me guess, he kissed your hand and quoted Shakespeare?"

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah. Not the weirdest introduction I've ever had with someone though."

Beck smiled politely. "Well you can tell us about your weirdest someday. Perhaps over dinner? We'd love to get to know you better, seeing as Percy never shuts up about you."

The green eyed boy beside Annie blushed. She grinned cheekily at him before returning her gaze back to Beck's. "Sure, sounds good to me."

Beck nodded and let Percy take her to the couches where she would observe the band. As he secured his microphone into the mic stand, Percy announced, "Now we sing."

Annabeth grinned a grin that reached her ears. He could tell she was incredibly excited but was keeping it on the down-low. "I think you'll come to like the song." And without saying more, they began.

 _ **End Up Here  
5 Seconds of Summer  
**P - Percy  
L - Leo  
N - Nico_

 _(P) You walked in_

 _Everyone was asking for your name_

 _You just smiled and told them 'trouble'_

 _My head spins_

 _I'm pressed against the wall just watching your every move_

 _You're way too cool_

 _And you're coming this way, coming this way_

 _(A) How did we end up talking in the first place?_

 _You said you liked my Cobain shirt_

 _Now we're walking back to your place_

 _You're telling me how you love that song about_

 _Livin' on a prayer_

 _I'm pretty sure that we're halfway there_

 _And when I wake up next to you_

 _I wonder how_

 _How did we end up here?_

 _(N) How did we end up_

 _How did we end up here?_

 _(P) Next day out_

 _Everyone though you were so insane_

 _'Cause you're so far out_

 _Of my league_

 _My friends say I should lock you down_

 _Before you figure me out and you run away_

 _But you don't and you won't_

 _As you kiss me and tell me that you're here to stay_

As they repeated the chorus, Percy had been keeping his eyes on Annabeth's throughout the whole time he sang. He could tell she was honored that he'd written a song for her. The wide smile on her face gave him butterflies within his stomach and he winked at her, bringing his mouth closer to the mic.

 _(P) Call me lucky 'cause in the end_

 _I'm a six_

 _And she's a ten_

 _She's so fit_

 _I'm insecure_

 _But she keeps coming back for more_

 _(A) How did we end up talking in the first place?_

 _You said you liked my Cobain shirt_

 _Now we're walking back to your place_

 _You're telling me how you love that song about_

 _Livin' on a prayer_

 _I'm pretty sure that we're halfway there_

 _And when I wake up next to you_

 _I wonder how_

 _How did we end up here?_

 _(N) How did we end up_

 _How did we end up here?_

The boys gave it their all on their instruments towards the end of the song. They all really wanted to impress the girl and by the looks of it, they'd say they did just that.

 _How did we end up_

 _How did we end up here?_

And then the song ended with Leo plucking the wrong chord on his guitar. Though, instead of scolding him, they all breathlessly laughed.

"Holy craps, guys," Annabeth stood from her seat. "That was... wow. Okay, when you said you were good, Perce, I didn't think you meant _this_ good. How haven't you all gotten famous yet?"

"That would be because of a dick who didn't see any potential in us when we played in Battle of the Bands last year. We weren't the best but we certainly weren't bad enough for fifth place. We should've gotten at least third or even second! But nope, at the time we had acne and skinny bodies so nobody wanted us to get that record label nor become famous by any means." Nico bitterly stated.

"The music industry can really suck sometimes." She gave a wary smile. "Sorry, guys. I'm sure someone will come and discover you someday. It's bound to happen. Your band is one of the best I've ever heard and I love Nirvana, just ask Percy."

Leo nearly fainted. "We've never been compared to Nirvana before."

"Well you're nearly as good as them."

Leo ran up to Annabeth and got on his knee. "Marry me."

Percy walked up to the Latino boy and pulled him upwards by his suspenders. "Okay, bud, no marrying is happening for you. At least not with her." Leo pouted and went back to Nico and Beck. When the three left to give them some privacy, Annabeth spoke.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" Percy sat down on the couch and Annabeth did the same.

" _You'll figure me out and you'll run away_?" Her eyes squinted in question as she smiled. "What did you mean by that, Jackie?"

Percy felt his stomach drop a bit but elaborately came up with an... _elaborate answer_.

"My drag queen life. Maybe you'll figure out that I'm not lying about it and it'll scare you away." He made it seem like he'd put the lyric there as a reference on the ongoing joke about him being a drag queen.

Annabeth giggled and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I said I wasn't going anywhere, idiot. Plus, you worried me there for a second. I've had trust issues in past relationships and friendships, I want us to be different." She uttered into his shoulder.

"Of course, I get it. No secrets."

 _Except maybe just one..._

 _/_

 _ **That's all folks!**_

 _ **Next chapter will be up on Friday. I'll be updating Monday's and Friday's (this one is a bit late because it took me a little longer to type than I thought it would), some earlier than that if a lot of people request it.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 ** _\- adowftaw_**

 ** _Disclaimer: All rights go to their respective owners._**


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth Marie Elise Chase would be completely and utterly lying if she were to say she didn't feel even the slightest bit of attraction towards Percy whatsoever.

The boy did wonders to her heart, more than any other guy she'd ever been with and she'd only known him for a little less than a month.

It was now two weeks later, two weeks since he sang her the song he and his friends had stayed up all night writing for her, and the two grew more and more inseparable by the day. They'd almost even kissed.

 _Almost._

 _Sometime last week:_

 _It was a quiet, dark Friday night when Percy and Annabeth decided to have yet another movie night together. The two sat on Annabeth's couch in complete silence as both pairs of eyes were glued to the TV screen. They sat close to one another as they watched Annabeth's favorite horror movie, The Exorcist. Percy made several attempts to not look like a big scaredy cat in front of the girl he liked but failed miserably when Regan MacNeil came down the stairs in spider-walk form. Annabeth laughed as he tried to subtly hide behind a pillow, which made him scowl and grab a piece of popcorn out of the bowl that laid between them and threw it at her nose. She gasped and immediately went to retaliate, grabbing a piece of her own and throwing it straight into his eye. Percy let out a high pitched squeak as the butter burned his cornea. "How dare you?" He grumpily inquired as he rubbed his stinging eye._

 _"That's what you get."_

 _A mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes - or more like, his **eye**. "Okay, that's it. You're really gonna get it now." He moved the bowl to the coffee table in front of them and Annabeth took the time to run away as fast as she can, letting out an uncharacteristic squeal as she bolted towards her room. Percy ran after her in pursuit but she hid in the closet in her room before he could be spotted by him. He came in after her and glanced around the room, his shoulders hunched as he searched for the girl. "Annabeth..." He eerily sang. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."_

 _The female held her breath and moved slightly to the left. Much to her misfortune, she'd also knocked down her suitcase in her the process and gave away her hiding spot. "Wow, seriously? The closet?" He moved to open the set of doors but Annabeth sprinted out before he could do so and then it was a chasing game after that._

 _But her laughter was too much for her body to handle, therefore she went limp as she continued to laugh uncontrollably. Thankfully, Percy had been right on her heels so he caught her before she could hit the ground. He pulled her close to his chest as he let out deep chuckles of his own. "You okay, Annie?"_

 _She whined through her mirth, "My ribs hurt."_

 _"Well yeah, you have been laughing for ten minutes straight."_

 _The female grinned as she looked up at Percy, who was peeking over her shoulder to look at her. "I suppose you're going to show me mercy and forget about punishing me. Y'know, since I'm in pain and all."_

 _"Oh yeah, about that..."_

 _In a split second, the pain was on the ground with Percy straddling Annabeth and her dying of more constant laughter. "Percy, please! S-Stop!"  
_

 _He simple ignored her request and continued to ruthlessly tickle the blonde._

 _"I-I can't b-b-breathe! Percy!"_

 _"Say you're sorry."_

 _"No!"_

 _"Then I'm not stopping."_

 _"Percy," She begged, and when her pride finally deflated and she accepted defeat, she apologized. "Okay, okay! I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Now stop!"_

 _And he did just that with a cocky smile on his lips and his hands on his knees. He wordlessly and a bit breathlessly watched as the woman beneath him tried to catch her breath. A light blush painted her cheeks when she noticed their position but she didn't question it due to the intense staring Percy was embedding on her. His sea green eyes were utterly mesmerizing and Annabeth couldn't pull herself to look away. Instead, she found herself lost inside the deep pools of green, drowning in all things Percy. The boy crept closer and closer, his eyes stuck on hers, almost as if he didn't realize his lips were drifting towards hers by the second. And he came closer and closer and even closer before..._

"Before? Before what?!" Piper practically screamed at her best friend.

It was now present day. The weather was fairly nice for a Wednesday afternoon. Both girls sat quietly by themselves towards the back of their favorite restaurant, Moonlight District, a place where people's favorite artists performed at from time to time. The food was crazy good and they served only the best types of different beverages. "I may or may not have sneezed in his face..." Annabeth admitted rather sheepishly, in which Piper's jaw fell open with slight amusement twinkling in her kaleidoscopic hues.

"You did not!" She exclaimed, which earned the pair stares from others around them. Annabeth shushed her best friend with a laugh. "You're loud, you know that?"

"Annabeth! You sneezed on the love of your life instead of kissing him! Are you insane?!"

"Dude, it's not like I can control my allergies."

Piper sighed and leaned back in her chair, deciding to drop the subject for the time being. She took the silence that arrived as an opportunity to begin interrogating Annabeth. "Is he nice to you?"

"Of course he is." She responded in a heartbeat. "I'm pretty sure I already told you that, though."

"I know, I know." Piper reassured immediately. "I just can't help but make sure he isn't a... a _Luke_."

Annabeth's blood run cold at the sound of his name.

Luke Castellan, a blonde bad boy she and Piper went to college with a year ago who caused destruction everywhere he went. The man was insensitive, dishonest, and completely unfaithful.

And Annabeth was utterly infatuated with him.

Well... _used to be_.

After about the tenth time he'd cheated on her with whatever girl he stumbled upon during his late night clubbing sprees, she was knocked out of his spell. The break up was hard and heartbreaking. She wanted nothing more than to run back into his arms and stay in them forever, not caring if he betrayed her or not. All she wanted was him. Only him. She needed him in the worst way possible, which made the first couple of months without him nearly unbearable. Luckily, she had friends like Piper with her to support her along the way, even after she dropped out of college. In all honesty, Annabeth was only being taught what she already knew, so she saw no need to continue roaming the same halls Luke roamed and left to work for her mother downtown. She'd only just recently put herself back on the market. She believed it was time to move on and find someone who wouldn't like to her and break her heart and _her heart_ told her Percy was that person. That one special person who would heal her wounded heart with their love and Annabeth couldn't be happier with him being that person.

"He's not a Luke, Pipes. Trust me."

"Are you sure?"

A hint of doubt lingered within her but she suppressed it, choosing not to listen to her gut. "I'm sure."

Piper's wary eyes studied the blonde for a few moments before she deemed Annabeth was telling the truth, therefore she shrugged and took a long sip of her smoothie. A question about how Piper's boyfriend, Beckett, was doing but she was interrupted by a woman at the stage upfront. Feedback from the mic pierced their ears as the woman tapped the tip and everyone winced. "Excuse me," Her nasally voice screeched. "I'd like to make an announcement, thank you!"

Everyone quieted down and focused their attention on the female. "Welcome to the Moonlight District, everyone. We hope you're enjoying your stay and the food we've provided for you here today. Now, we've been having slight trouble booking new artists to perform for you all lately and one of our staff members came up with a brilliant idea to ask for performers in the audience to step up and take their chance to play their own music in front of our customers right here on stage." The woman began to go on about how anyone who wanted to perform would get paid and Annabeth was instantly intrigued.

With a gasp, she stood from her seat. Worry flourished on Piper's features. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Annabeth rushed towards the back of the stage to search for the sign up sheet the woman had mentioned and Piper wordlessly followed after her.

...

Percy awoke without plans of what to do for the day. Everyone he usually hung out with were busy with other priorities, though he called bullshit when his friends said they were too come over. Annabeth, he understood. She went on a mini vacation, hence why they spent so much time together, but now she was back at work already. As for his friends, he didn't know. When it came to priorities with them, they didn't matter. Their _priorities_ were one another so when they skipped out on a day with each other, something was obviously up. Perhaps they were jealous with all the time he was spending with Annabeth instead of them. Percy just couldn't put his finger on it. So now, here he was. Alone on his couch, munching away at a mouthful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch whilst watching his favorite cartoons on TV. His mother was away at work and Tyson was away with his school friends at Morgan's Wonderland. He'd just made the conscious decision to take yet another nap for the umpteenth time when his cellphone rang. He rushed to answer it. "Hello?"

"Percy, hey!" Annabeth cheerily greeted. He grinned to himself. "Hey, Annie. How are you doing?"

"I'm great, thanks for asking. Hey, are you with the guys by any chance?"

"I'm not, actually. Why do you ask?"

"Can you call them over to your house? I'll meet you all there."

Although confusion knitted his brows together, he decided not to question her requests. "Alright, see you then."

"Bye, Perce."

After the call ended, he pleaded with his best friends to come over and it wasn't easy seeing as they were all very stubborn. Finally, they agreed to come and Percy was relieved. He didn't know what he was going to do if they didn't show. When they arrived, scowls were etched into their faces so deeply, it made Percy anxious. "H-Hey, fellas." His voice cracked. They didn't respond as they seated themselves on the couch Percy was just on.

"Is there a reason I'm being ignored or is it just national ignore Percy day? Because if so, I'm quite glad Annabeth isn't participating."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Of course he's glad his precious Annabeth is still talking to him. As if they haven't talked enough already."

Percy was taken aback by his remarks. "Excuse me?"

"I thought we meant more to you than she did, Perce. You know, bros before -"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." He interrupted.

"Still. You know it's forbidden for relationships to get in the way of our friendship. She's separating you from us."

"But she isn't." Percy retorted. "She's literally the one who told me to call you all over."

Leo raised a single brow. "Wait, really?"

"Yes, really." Percy answered just as the doorbell rang. Opening the door, the inevitable smile that appeared every time he laid eyes on Annabeth brightened his face and reached to give the girl a hug. "Hey." Annabeth reflected his smile and when their hug ended, she went to give her greetings to the others, in which they replied with a mere grumble, but the brightness in Annabeth's smile never deterred and she quickly motioned Percy to take a seat next to his friends. "So, you all may be wondering why I've gathered you here today..." She rubbed her hands together energetically and the truth burst out of her like a water balloon hitting a hard surface.

"I got you guys a gig at the Moonlight District!" She spouted out. At first, it was complete silence, each boy processing her life changing words as slowly as can be. Shock stuttered their hearts until it finally came to them.

They were going to perform one of their songs.

In front of dozens upon dozens of people.

They were possibly going to get discovered by someone.

All because of Annabeth.

Leo was the first to react, jumping out of his seat whilst a yell ripped from his chest. "Yahoo!"

Beck and Nico copied his actions and went to embrace one another in a bone crushing hug. Percy stood silently and walked towards Annabeth, his eyes resembling Romeo's when he first laid eyes on Juliet as he stared into Annabeth's intimidating yet beautiful gray eyes. In that moment, Percy realized just how special Annabeth truly was. She had went out of her way to book them a gig at one of the biggest food chains in the entire country all because she genuinely cared about Percy and his friends's futures. Boy, was she a keeper...

And Percy didn't deserve to keep her.

The guilt weighed down on him. As he stood before her, he debated whether or not to kiss her or tell her the truth about his age, but did neither as he pulled her into a tight hug. He couldn't dare to tell her something that would without a doubt wipe the intoxicatingly pulchritudinous bright white smile she had on her lips. Percy decided he'd wait a while longer for the perfect moment to tell her the truth.

That is if the perfect moment ever came...

...

Fear was all that Percy seemed to be feeling as he sat backstage waiting for their performance to begin. It was now Saturday and more people showed up to their gig than he wouldn't thought in the first place. "What if I get the words wrong?" He told his worries to Annabeth who sat next to him and kept him from freaking out too much.

"Perce, you won't. You rehearsed the song a countless amount of times, you'll do great like you always do." They had two and a half days to get the song just right. They practiced it over and over again until none of them messed up and they were driven to complete exhaustion but tonight, they still managed to be as pumped as ever. Except for Percy, who now had dark bags under his eyes due to the lack of sleep. "I can't mess up, Annie. This is our one shot at putting ourselves out there. If I mess this up, I'm not jut screwing things up for me, but for my friends too. I can't do that to them."

Annabeth rubbed his back and rested her chin on his shoulder. "You're going to do fine, babe. Trust me, I was there at every rehearsal and you guys sounded fantastic even when you messed up those few times. And look, if it makes you feel better... Look for me in the crowd. I'll make sure to be somewhere where you can see me, alright? Keep your eyes on me. Pretend we're back in the your garage and you're singing me that special song you wrote me and you'll be fine."

The suggestion calmed his nerves drastically and he released a long deep breath with his elbows propped up on his bouncing knees, sending a quick relieved grin at the girl to his left. "Thanks, Annie."

"No problem, Jackie." She patted his shoulder and sent a cheesy smile his way that made him chuckle softly.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" He questioned with a twinkle of admiration in his hues.

"Not as long as I'm alive."

Before he could retaliate, a stagehand came by announcing that they were about to go on. The boys came by with their instruments in hand - drumsticks for Beck - and nodded at Annabeth. "See you afterwards, sweet cheeks." Leo flirted before disappearing onto the curtained stage.

"Don't call me sweet cheeks!" Annabeth yelled after him and Percy laughed.

"Nothing like classic Leo to help ready me up for a performance of a lifetime."

She simpered, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Good luck, Percy."

"Thanks."

Then she was gone and Percy was alone backstage. "Alright... You've got this, Perce. Let's do this... For Annabeth."

Standing from his seat, he wiped his sweaty palms on the fabric of his jeans, taking another few quick breaths before shuffling to his mic stand. Within seconds, the curtain was open and revealing a large crowd of college students and simple everyday pedestrians. And then there was Annabeth, standing a yard apart from his mom. He smiled at both girls. When he told his mom about the gig, she was more than ecstatic for her son. She spent five hours calling every family member she had the number of, asking if they would come see him perform and only a few could make it under such short notice. Although he was worried Annabeth would put the pieces together and figure out that it was his mom and go talk to her, which would be bad because his mom has the tendency to talk about his life with _everyone_ , he tried not to think much about it and focused on giving the performance his all. Inhaling deeply and rolling his head around to relax the tension in his muscles, he sighed and finally spoke. "Uh, hi, thank you everybody for coming. We're the Four Horsemen, here to perform a new song for you called Fly Away... Hope you enjoy."

Percy tightened the strap of his guitar and readied his pick, waiting for the perfect moment to start.

Then it came... and the start of their new lives began.

 _ **Fly Away  
5 Seconds of Summer  
**(P) - Percy  
(N) - Nico  
(L) - Leo  
(B) - Beck  
(A) - All_

 _(A) Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na  
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na_

 _(B) Go!_

By the first string plucked, the crowd was already hyped upon realizing that these guys really knew how to rock out.

 _(L) Counting down these seconds  
Jumping off these fences  
Find another place to start again  
_

 _(P) (hey, hey, hey, hey!)_

 _(L) The cracks in the sidewalk  
I'm over all the small talk  
Taking off like fire in the wind_

 _(P) (hey, hey, hey, hey!)_

 _(P & L) I won't waste another day  
Wishing this would fade away  
Running, we're not looking back_

Percy let a smirk overtake his lips that were brought closer to the mic as he laid his eyes on Annabeth who couldn't hold back the smile of her own.

 _(A) I want a little bit of California  
With a little bit of London sky  
I wanna take my heart to the end of the world  
And fly away tonight  
I want a little bit of open ocean  
With a New York state of mind  
I wanna take my heart to the end of the world  
And fly away, fly away tonight_

 _(P) Fly away tonight_

 _Fly away tonight_

 _(N) A never ending replay  
With memories I can't erase  
I see the best of times in front of me_

 _(A) (hey, hey, hey, hey!)_

 _(N) Now I'm off to paradise  
To a war I'll never fight  
Say goodbye to pain and misery_

 _(A) na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na_

 _(N & P) I won't waste another day  
Wishing this would fade away  
Running, we're not looking back_

As the chorus was repeated, the crowd went wild, like the intense tune the song had encouraged adrenaline to fill their veins. People swarmed the dance floor, head banging and throwing rock signs. The sight was absolutely astonishing to the band. As the bridge came, the boys readied themselves to double their effort for the end.

 _(P) I won't waste another day  
_ _Wishing this would fade away  
_ _I won't waste another day  
Wishing this would fade away_

 _(L) Counting down the seconds  
Always second guessing  
I'm dreaming of a place to start again_

 _(A) I want a little bit of California  
With a little bit of London sky  
I wanna take my heart to the end of the world  
And fly away tonight  
I want a little bit of open ocean  
With a New York state of mind  
I wanna take my heart to the end of the world  
And fly away, fly away tonight_

 _Fly away tonight_

 _Fly away tonight_

As they came to a close on their song with a series of vocalizing, everybody cheered so loud, Percy would barely hear himself sing. The reaction of the crowd gave Percy pure and utter joy as well as his friends and family. Annabeth cheered the loudest of them all as she stood atop a table yelling a series of "way to go Percy" and "I knew you could do it". Slight tears welled up his eyes as Beck, Nico and Leo came to his side to form a straight line. They bowed for the crowd in synchronization, which ended in a group hug on stage. They lingered for a bit longer to relish in the love they were getting from everybody inside the restaurant before finally returning to the back. There stood Annabeth with the widest smile he'd ever seen. She rushed up to him and threw herself into his arms. He reacted quickly, catching her and twirling her around in the air. "I'm so proud of you." She squealed.

"Come on, guys. Let's leave these lovebirds be." Beck interrupted, shooing his other two friends way. Percy placed Annabeth back down, keeping his hands on her hips, and sent a glance Beck's way, nodding to show his gratitude before returning his attention back to Annabeth.

"I did it." He said happily, his phone chiming in his pocket.

"You did! I told you you could. See? You should never doubt me."

Percy quickly read the text message he'd received as she spoke.

 _I'm so proud of you, honey! You did so amazing!  
_ _Your cousins and uncles were so happy for you! I'll see you when you get home.  
_ _I'll let you be with your friends. Take care, sweetie.  
_ _xoxo, mom_

Biting down on his smile, he sent back a quick text before pocketing his phone. "I'll take that into consideration."

Annabeth gasped. "Don't _consider_ it, Perseus. _Listen_ to it."

Hearing his full name come out of the blonde's mouth both scared him and allured him all at once and he couldn't have been any happier.

"Yes, ma'am."

He could tell she liked being called that.

"Seeing as I think my friends ditched us for some chicks they found in the crowd," He glanced around to make sure his friends were nowhere to be found before meeting eyes with the girl again. "Wanna head back to your place for a movie marathon?"

Annabeth took his hand and laced together their fingers, kissing his cheek like she'd done before his performance and said, "I'd love nothing more."

/

 _ **Chapter three, done!**_

 _ **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one should be up on Monday or sooner.**_

 _ **\- adowftaw**_


End file.
